Mother dies from bike crash moments after taking this smiling selfie on her way home

[Flinders]

... That's absolutely it. ...

Having appeared to agree with me, this seems to say the opposite:

... if you are holding anything, however trivial, it is well known that it is very, very difficult not to take longer to respond; the overwhelming instinct from infancy up is to grip in a crisis (basically because we used to live in trees).

It's caused me to reflect and I suppose I'm talking about situations where there's a moment to think - however briefly - before reacting. Perhaps my use of the word "instinct" was wrong as I wasn't talking about a reflex action. I meant that I wouldn't want to drop something precious to enable me to regain full control, so I wouldn't hold something like a phone in the first place. A bit of food or drink is of a different order.

I meant I agree that holding things is a problem, but I suppose in that I think holding anything at all is a problem, I disagree that there is much of a sliding scale about it when it comes to the immediate instinct kicking in.....

[meic]

I meant I agree that holding things is a problem, but I suppose in that I think holding anything at all is a problem, I disagree that there is much of a sliding scale about it when it comes to the immediate instinct kicking in.....

Theoretically I agree with TC that you are far more willing to drop something inconsequential when a potential hazard looms. In practice I have never dropped so much as an apple core while cycling, so possibly we will not drop anything until it is too late.

[Flinders]

............ I understand that we used to live in trees, +1
But can one *decide* in a split second? I know I can think very quickly and support myself if I trip on the stairs..
If we have *recently* come down from the trees, why are our brains so elaborate?

When sudden fear kicks in, our reactions are involuntary, and therefore primitive. They have to be very fast because falling out of a tree, for instance, tends to be final if you stop to think first. I think your stairs falling is a good example of your body righting itself, and you gripping the banister or whatever, instinctively, when if you took time to think about how to do it first you'd be in a heap at the bottom of the stairs before you had thought it out. It's actually amazing how fast instinct takes over- the whole thing can be done and dusted, the body having demanded and got a higher heat rate and big muscular effort, in a split second. Me, I can't think any actions out that fast. Maybe I'm just a bit slow!

You can, however, train *some* people to bypass *some of* those reactions. I'd imagine a lot of military and medical training has to, for example. We had it banged into us at work about responding PDQ to shouted warnings no matter what we were doing, so I got very fast at it in the end no matter what I was holding- 'drop it and run' was the rule.

[Flinders]

I meant I agree that holding things is a problem, but I suppose in that I think holding anything at all is a problem, I disagree that there is much of a sliding scale about it when it comes to the immediate instinct kicking in.....

Theoretically I agree with TC that you are far more willing to drop something inconsequential when a potential hazard looms. In practice I have never dropped so much as an apple core while cycling, so possibly we will not drop anything until it is too late.

I once tripped down a long flight of metal stairs at work, top to bottom. I was carrying a bucket of paint in front of me, and when I landed flat on the floor full length at the bottom I was still holding the bucket upright with the paint still in it. It must have looked hilarious. Not skill though, just pure instinct. I did the same once out on the fells, I preserved the camera in my hands at the expense of my nose. Had I dropped the camera, I could have used my arms to break my fall. As I instinctively gripped the thing in a death grip and held it above my head as I went down to protect it, I went literally flat down on my face. I looked like I'd gone a round or two with Mike Tyson after.